


Sam and Skip

by Emily_F6



Series: Penny Parker Prompts [25]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Female Peter Parker, Gen, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Penny Parker - Freeform, Peter Parker Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:13:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26160058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emily_F6/pseuds/Emily_F6
Summary: Prompt: Sam helps Penny when she is faced with Skip
Relationships: Peter Parker & Sam Wilson, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Penny Parker Prompts [25]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1899553
Comments: 14
Kudos: 461





	1. Chapter 1

***TRIGGER WARNING* This story briefly describes a sexual assault but does not go into graphic detail.**

Sam and Penny had met for the first time in an airport in Germany, although they hadn’t exactly had a conversation at the time. It had been more like…Penny had tried to chat while also trying to web him and Bucky up, and Sam had been freaked out by her webs. And then he’d thrown her through a window which had hurt. Still…it hadn’t been a great first meeting. Then again, Penny hadn’t had great first meetings with most of the Avengers. That’s what happened when your first meeting was an airport battle where your friend was trying to stop you from becoming war criminals.

They met a second time at the tower when neither had been expecting it. It had been lab day, which Mr. Stark had instituted after the whole Homecoming debacle, and Penny had walked into the tower, earbuds stuck in her ears, eyes glued to her phone, only to come to an abrupt halt when she’d run into a wall of a person. Hand flying up to her nose, she’d jumped back, eyes wide, only to find herself looking into the wide eyes of a somewhat familiar man. 

“The hell?” He had asked…or, that’s what she’d thought he had said. She’d still been listening to the Hamilton soundtrack at full blast in her earbuds which had been a belated birthday present from Mr. Stark a few weeks ago…not only did they connect wirelessly to her phone, which was great because she was always getting her wires tangled and accidentally yanking headphones out of her ears, but they were also completely noise canceling, which came in handy when she was having sensory issues. He had continued to talk, but she’d only caught the end of the rant when she’d paused ‘The Schuyler Sisters’ (she always sang Angelica’s part because she was her favorite) ad pulled one of the earbuds out of her ears. “…does Stark have teenage girls running around?” 

Steve Rogers had appeared then, and Penny had taken a step back from the two of them, hackles raised. She’d never found out what had happened in Siberia…had never thought it her place to ask Mr. Stark or Colonel Rhodes, but she’d seen Mr. Stark when he’d returned. Had seen the black eye and the sling…had seen the look in his eye before he’d spotted her and had gone back to that cheery, slightly fake smile. No…not ‘fake’ exactly…guarded. He hadn’t disliked her or anything, but he hadn’t quite trusted her either. It hadn’t been until after she’d saved his plane that he’d looked at her in any other way…in the way he had started to look at her more recently. Like she was someone he cared about. Like she was someone important to him, and he wasn’t afraid to show it. 

“Hi…can we help you?” Steve had asked cautiously, exchanging glances with Sam Wilson, and Penny had had the wild thought that maybe they were here to attack Mr. Stark…maybe they were going to hurt him. Again. But, of course, as her brain had reminded her only a second later, Mr. Stark’s tower had a state of the art security system. They wouldn’t have been able to walk in without him knowing. Still, she’d taken a step back, yanking out the other earbud and shoving them both in her pocket with her phone. She had wanted both hands free. Just in case. 

Better safe than sorry.

“Friday?” She’d asked, eyes on both of them. Sam had lifted an eyebrow and she’d lifted both of hers, looking him up and down distrustfully. 

“Boss is on his way up.” The AI had informed her. 

“Are you…related to Tony?” Steve had asked, obviously trying to be friendly. Any other time, Penny would have jumped at the chance to make small talk with her second favorite Avenger…but the last time she’d seen him, he’d dropped a loading bridge on her. 

“No,” Penny had told him simply, and then Mr. Stark had been there, hurrying into the kitchen and dropping a hand on her shoulder. He’d given her a look then, and she’d marveled a little at the fact that he gave her these looks now…and that she could read them in a heartbeat. 

‘Are you okay? I’m here. It’s okay now. Don’t worry.’ He had started to care about her…and he hadn’t been afraid to show it. 

She’d given him her own look back. ‘I’m okay. I’m glad you’re here. What’s going on?’ The kind of look a child gives their grown-up. And in some ways, he was her grown-up. Or, one of them. It hadn’t been easy for her to trust him like this…for her to avoid tensing up when he put a hand on her shoulder or pulled her in for a casual half hug. And he’d seemed to notice that once they’d actually started spending time together. But by this point, when the rogue Avengers had returned, they began to trust one another. 

“Spangles. Birdman. This is my intern. Penny Parker.” 

“Intern?” Sam had repeated, crossing his arms. “You have interns?”

“I have intern. Singular. Just her.”

“And you let your interns just walk around your kitchen?”

“When they’re hungry.” Mr. Stark had told him, voice going almost dangerously pleasant. And Penny had felt something sick and afraid in her stomach at the way Sam Wilson had looked at her mentor…at the way both of them had looked at her. Or maybe she’d just been imagining it. Maybe her own memories had been coloring her thoughts. Still, the next words had come almost before she’d decided to say them.

“We’ve met, actually.” Penny had told them, holding out a hand to Sam, smirking just a little. As if on autopilot, he had taken her hand, shaking it once, but not squeezing. She made up for squeezing his hand just a little too hard. “You threw me out a window.” 

“What the hell are…” Sam had started to say…but then it had dawned on him, and she’d let him pull his hand away. “You…you’re the spider freak?”

Penny had bristled a little, flinching without meaning to, and immediately, she’d seen the remorse on his face. He hadn’t meant it. He wasn’t a mean person. He’d just been surprised. She’d seen all of that on his face a split second before Mr. Stark had spoken up, voice hard.

“Spider-Girl.” He’d corrected, and Sam had given a quick nod, an apology in his eyes when they’d met hers.

“Right. Spider-Girl. The one with the webs. Those come outta you?”

Penny had finally let herself smile for real, surprising even herself with a short laugh. “No. They’re not organic. I make them in the lab.”

“Her high school chemistry lab to be exact.” Mr. Stark had said, a note of pride leaking into his voice, and from the looks on the faces of Sam and Steve, she hadn’t been the only one to hear it. 

“It’s nice to officially meet you, Penny.” Steve had put in, holding out his own hand, and she’d shaken it. “Sorry for startling you. We didn’t know you’d be stopping by.”

“Sorry, kiddo. We had a meeting…the Accords are being amended, and the previously ‘rogue’ Avengers have all been pardoned. It’s been a busy day.” 

“Oh…I can go…”

“No…don’t let us chase you off. The meetings are all done.” Steve had put in, and Mr. Stark had squeezed her shoulder.

“Why don’t you go on down to the lab? I’ll be right down.”

She’d learned a little later that Sam and Steve would be living in the tower part-time until they got places of their own, which was how she found herself running into them more and more often. As Penny Parker, she sometimes headed to the kitchen before the lab to grab a snack and would run into Sam who seemed to like working on his computer in there. At first, she stayed quiet around him, sometimes giving a quick smile and nod before hurrying back down to the lab. Eventually, she graduated to shouldering him out of the way when he stood in front of the fridge and snatching chips from his plate when she happened to catch him eating his own snack. As Spider-Girl, she’d see him on her patrols every once in a while where he’d show up for an assist. The first time he’d appeared just in time to help her take down a group of freakishly strong drug dealers, she had reminded him that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. 

“Of course you can, kid. But you’re an Avenger now, so you don’t have to.”

She hadn’t told him that she wasn’t really an Avenger. Instead, she’d muttered a reluctant ‘thanks’ before swinging off, trying not to smile at the sound of his chuckling and the muttered ‘not related to Stark my ass.’ 

He was almost like a friend. Something like a big brother.

The team slowly began to work together, with more Avengers showing up and hanging around the tower, then participating in group training sessions. She usually paired off with Steve since he was almost as strong as she was, but there were times when she and Sam would spar, and he’d help her with her hand to hand fighting. Once he snarked that he wasn’t a babysitter right before she leaped and, in a move taught to her by Natasha, hooked a knee around his neck and brought him down hard on the mat. 

Mr. Stark laughed so hard that a tear ran down his cheeks, and Sam had given a reluctant grin when she’d held out a hand to pull him up. 

Sam was also the one to try and teach her to shoot a gun. It was a group training day, and they’d started to pair up like normal when he had led her to a different training room, just the two of them. At first, she’d balked at the door, glancing back to find Mr. Stark watching her instead of sparring with Wanda…as if he’d known she would look for him. It wasn’t that Mr. Stark knew the particulars of what had happened to her. He didn’t. No one did, except for May. But he knew that she was skittish about people she didn’t know touching her and that she got nervous when she was in an enclosed space with other people. With adult men. 

She’d never come out and said it. But they’d been in the lab during their first lab session and he’d noticed how jumpy she had been…how her fingers hadn’t stopped drumming on her legs and how every little noise had made her jump. Finally, he’d turned to her, arms at his side, face open.

“What’s got you so worried, kiddo?” He’d asked gently. 

“Can…can we just…open the door?”

He hadn’t even hesitated to nod. “Of course.” He’d told her, moving over to the lab door and pulling it wide open. No follow up questions. 

She’d only lasted about a minute before blurting out, “I”m sorry…it’s not…I know you wouldn’t…’

“Hey,” he’d interrupted, voice still gentle and so serious. “You don’t owe me any kind of explanation. You want the door open, it stays open. You want to leave, you can. Any time, no questions asked. Okay?”

And she’d nodded, giving him a grateful, somewhat teary smile. 

She’d thought about telling him…but she didn’t know the words. Didn’t know the basic shape of them. How did you even bring something like that up?

Penny had remembered those words when she’d started to follow Sam into the room that held the shooting range. Mr. Stark had given her a look, eyebrows raised just a little.

‘Are you okay? You don’t have to. You can leave whenever you want.’

She’d trusted Sam. Still, when she’d followed him into the room, she’d stopped him from shutting the door. “Keep it open.” She’d instructed, voice almost shaking with the effort it had taken to say those words. He’d started to argue…she’d see it in his face. But then he’d stopped, pressed his lips together tightly, and nodded.

“Okay.”

And then it had been time for training. He’d brought out a gun, started to pull it all apart, but she’d shaken her head. “I don’t need to learn how to shoot a gun.”

Sam had signed a little, something serious but just a little patronizing in his tone when he’d spoken. “Look, I know that you don’t like guns and that you’re all about apprehending criminals without hurting them, but there may come a time that you need to…”

Penny had snatched the gun from him then, the metal making her whole body cold. Still, she’d put the thing back together without a word, her hands turning into her uncle’s in her mind as she snapped the clip into place, then strode up to the half wall that marked the proper distance, then put one foot slightly behind the other, one hand holding the gun up, the other supporting her wrist, thumb down and away so it wouldn’t get hit by the recoil. 

One bullet after the other, she had emptied the clip, flinching each time she heard the bang in her ears. She was supposed to wear earmuffs…she had known that. She had known that this could damage her hearing and would probably lead to a migraine. But she hadn’t cared. All she’d cared about was proving that she didn’t need lessons on shooting a gun…not when she’d had so many. 

Every bang had reminded her of her uncle, a hand clutching his chest, blood spurting out from between his fingers, another bloody hand reaching for her. 

Finally, Penny had run out of bullets and lowered the gun, staring at the target. The center ring of the paper had been nothing but frayed edges and empty space. Turning, she had placed the gun, barrel pointed down, onto the table beside Sam who hadn’t moved…who had watched her with wide, stunned eyes. “My uncle was a cop.” She had told him simply in a voice that she’d tried and failed to keep from shaking.

And then she’d left, passing the others on her way up to the guest room, ignoring Steve’s call for her to wait.

“Tony, she can’t just walk out on training…”

“She’s not an Avenger.” Mr. Stark had told him. “She’s not a soldier. She not a warrior. She’s a kid. If she wants to leave, she can leave. Any time. No questions asked. That’s the deal.”

Mr. Stark had come upstairs later to put a cold washrag over her head and sit with her, the two of them existing in silence in the dark room for a long time before she’d started crying. And then he’d held her. It had taken a long time for her to realize that she was with Mr. Stark in a dark enclosed room with the door shut…and it had hit her like a wave, the realization that it was okay. That she trusted Mr. Stark completely. That she loved him and he loved her and that he wouldn’t hurt her. 

Sam never again tried to teach her how to shoot a gun. Never even brought it up. But the next time he saw her as Spider-Girl, he handed her an ice cream sundae and a spoon, and the two met up on the nearest rooftop to eat in silence, shoulders pressed together. It wasn’t an apology, but it might as well have been.

Penny liked to think that she got along well with the Avengers. She liked to think that one day, she would join them as a full member and that this would be her job. It was a job she loved. A job that mattered. Something to look forward to. Penny loved looking forward…and she hated looking back.

The first text message came at 8:03am on a Tuesday morning. Penny was in class, doodling in her notebook as her teacher droned on about the American Civil War, when her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out, throwing glances at the teacher as she did so to make sure she wasn’t caught, but as soon as she saw the screen, she forgot all about the American Civil War and Ned who sat beside her and Midtown High and her web fluid notes that she’d flipped a page over to hide…all she could see was the screen and the unknown number and the words in the little bubble.

“I’ve missed you. We should meet up sometime, Einstein.” 

She stood up, shoving the phone into her pocket and racing out of the room with a barely coherent ‘bathroom’ thrown over her shoulder, racing down the hallway and crashing to her knees in front of the first toilet she could make it to, losing every bit of her breakfast and gasping for air between breaths. 

No. No way. He couldn’t be out. Not yet. She wasn’t ready.

Her phone vibrated again, and she pulled it out against her better judgment. She knew that she needed to call May. He shouldn’t have been able to get her phone number. It didn’t make sense. 

“So you got into Midtown. Congratulations, Pretty Penny.” 

If she’d had anything else to throw up, she would have. Instead, she shoved herself to her feet and pocketed her phone. He knew she was at Midtown. He knew where she went to school and he knew that it was a school day so he could…he could…

She was running before she knew it, feet pounding on the tiled floor of the hallway as the lockers passed in a blur of beige. Forgetting about her backpack and her notes and her purse and the fact that she was technically ditching, she shoved the doors at the end of the hall open and raced across the side of the building to the parking lot, then kept running, stopping only when her phone vibrated again. Skidding to a stop right before running out in the street, she pulled out her phone.

“I can’t wait to get you alone again. We’re going to have so much fun.” And then a picture…a picture of his face. He looked older, of course, with a stupid goatee and a pair of red hipster glasses, but it was him. 

Her fingers shook as she typed. “Leave me the fuck alone.” 

As soon as she hit send, she was running again. He knew her phone number and he knew where she went to school…but he didn’t know where she interned. Her arms pumped at her sides as she ran, ignoring the stares she knew she was getting. This wasn’t the run of a casual jogger…this was the sprint of someone being chased. 

Penny didn’t have her badge but Friday let her in the side door anyway, and then she was running up the stairs. She’d never told Mr. Stark about Skip, but now…now she had to. Because he knew where to find her. Because despite the fact that she was strong now, that she had superpowers, she just knew that if she saw him…if he touched her, she would freeze, just like she had when she’d been eleven. 

She burst into the common room, barely winded but still gasping for air, then froze. Sam was on the sofa, reading a thick novel that he dropped into his lap when he saw her. She couldn’t breathe…she wasn’t tired but she couldn’t breathe. She needed Mr. Stark.

“Kid?” He asked, putting the book on the sofa beside him and sitting up. 

“Mr. Stark?” She asked, not sure if the question was directed at him or Friday.

“He’s in a meeting with Steve in DC…it’s not lab day. Shouldn’t you be at school.”

In DC. Mr. Stark was in DC. He couldn’t protect her from DC. 

“Pen?” 

Penny ignored him, heading for the kitchen, hands shaking at her sides as her phone vibrated again. She needed Mr. Stark. She would get a drink and make herself calm down and then…then she would…call him. She would call him and tell him she needed him and he would come because she’d never asked him for anything like this before. He would know that it was serious. He would know. He would help.

She needed help.

Penny pulled her phone from her pocket and her blood froze, stomach clenching in protest, and she was distantly glad she’d already thrown up. The picture wasn’t something she hadn’t seen before…she’d seen it five times before she’d whispered her shameful, disgusting secret to May. She’d seen it when he’d forced her hand to it and she’d seen it when he’d shoved it down her throat…

She closed the messaging app and felt her back hit the wall, eyes shut so tightly that it hurt as she whimpered without meaning to. Help…she needed help.

“Why aren’t you in school, kid? You think being an Avenger means you can…”

“Fuck off, Sam!” She had meant for the words to sound mean enough for him to leave her alone…instead, her voice shook like her hands and his name broke off in a sob. A hand touched her then, and she screamed, knees buckling, arm coming up to protect her face, and without realizing it, she was begging. “Don’t touch me don’t touch me!” 

“Woah. Okay.” Sam’s voice came to her then, soft and reasonable and kind. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Penny. I shouldn’t have touched you. I won’t do it again. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t…don’t touch…” She kept begging, eyes still closed, face hidden in her knees.

“Okay. I won’t. Not unless you tell me it’s okay. I promise. Can you tell me what happened?”

“Mr. Stark…I need him…please…” 

“Can do. Friday? Call Tony. Tell him that Penny needs him to come back ASAP.” 

He would come. If she asked…he would come back.

“Alright. He’ll be on his way soon. Can you talk to me?” Sam asked, voice still so calm that her heart started to slow down, just a little.

“He knows…he knows where I go to school.”

“Who? Tony?”

“He shouldn’t know…he shouldn’t be out…”

“Okay…Pen…you have to catch me up, kiddo.” 

Hands shaking so hard she nearly dropped it, Penny pulled out her phone and opened the messaging app, face turning red as she averted her eyes, then handed it over. He took it without a word, and he heard his sharp inhale…heard his fingers tap the screen as he scrolled up to the beginning of the conversation. “Who is this?” He demanded.

“Skip. He…he was…I didn’t know he was out yet…” Sam was silent and Penny felt a hot tear run down her cheek. She hadn’t meant to cry. Hadn’t meant to look back. She never wanted to look back. Never wanted to remember. “He was my babysitter.” She admitted. 

“Can I sit beside you?” 

Penny nodded, and he shifted, sitting just close enough that she could feel the warmth of his arm beside hers…but he didn’t touch her. 

“Alright. Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to give your phone to Natasha. We’re going to take care of this for you, okay? Tony is going to come back. One of us can talk to your aunt…or you can…she has to know why you left school. But you can stay here until he’s taken care of, okay?”

Penny nodded again, sobbing in earnest into her jeans.

“What he did, what he sent you, that’s not your fault. None of it. He’s disgusting and he’s a criminal and we’re going to take care of him.”

She didn’t ask what that meant. Didn’t ask what they would do to Skip when they found him. Instead, she sat up a little, then leaned her head against his shoulder. True to his word, he didn’t move. But she needed him to…more than anything, Penny wanted the man she trusted like her big brother to hold her. Because that’s who he was. “Please…will you…” She trailed off, touching his arm tentatively, and he shifted, bringing an arm up, but stopping before wrapping it around her. 

“Is it okay?” 

She nodded furiously, still sobbing, and he took the invitation to wrap both arms around her, pulling her close and rubbing her back. 

“It’s okay. You’re safe baby girl…you’re safe here. Ain’t nobody in this tower going to let anything happen to you. It’s okay. We’ve got your back.” 

Penny sobbed into his shoulder until her whole body was spent, and she slumped bonelessly against him. Sam caught her easily, scooping her up in his arms before she knew what was happening and carrying her over to the couch where he lay her down, pulling the blanket he’d been using over her. Crouching at her side, he used his thumb to wipe a tear from her cheek. “I’m gonna keep your phone, okay? I’ll call Tony, see how soon he can get here. Then I’m gonna find Nat. You okay in here by yourself?”

“Yeah.” She whispered, voice hoarse and sore from the tears. 

Sam gave a weak smile, pulling his hand away and wrapping her more tightly in the blanket. Disappearing for only a moment, he returned with a glass of water and a packet of cookies that he placed on the floor beside her. “Friday, turn on the TV. How about Parks and Rec?” 

She gave a shaky smile and nodded, and within seconds the theme song was playing. 

He turned to go, but before he could, she freed her hand from the blanket, reaching out to grip his, and he turned, squeezing her hand, looking at her like he was ready to kill for her if she asked. 

“Thank you.”

His face softened then, and he gave her hand another quick squeeze. “I’ve got you, kid. Always.” 

And then he was heading down the hall to find Natasha and Penny was doing her very best to focus only on Leslie Knope and not on the sound of the conversation happening in the next room. 


	2. Part 2

Tony had known from the first time he’d met Penny Parker that there was something he was missing. Something that wasn’t being shared with him. When he’d arrived at her apartment for the first time, May opening the front door and pausing for a moment to stare at him in surprise before letting him in, he’d seen the way the woman had watched him. Not quite suspicious...just...attentive. Very attentive. And when he’d mentioned that he wanted to speak to her niece, she’d gone quiet. So he’d gone on, explaining the grant that he’d made up on the way over...not that he wasn’t going to give it to her. It was just...in the form of a multi-million dollar superhero suit. 

He’d understood her hesitation, of course. He was a grown man and he was asking to talk to the woman’s fourteen-year-old niece. He knew all about how disgusting some people were...what some people did to children. So he always made sure to keep himself above suspicion...to make himself non-threatening. Friendly. Open. Quiet. 

And then the girl had walked into the room and it had hit him once again how young she was. He’d known of course...when he’d discovered her identity, he’d nearly had a heart attack. Fourteen. This was a child. With long brown hair that went frizzy when she pushed her hood down and wide eyes that got even wider when she caught sight of him, she’d looked all of twelve. But he’d read her file...and he’d seen what she could do on Youtube. So he’d asked to talk to her. In private. The girl and her aunt had exchanged glances, a look that he hadn’t quite been able to decipher at that point, but one he’d become familiar with.

It was a look he’d given her in recent months...when she had met Steve and Sam, and when she and Sam had gone into the training room. It was a look that both asked if she was okay and reassured her that she didn’t have to do this. That she could leave. He’d never asked why she’d needed these reassurances. Had never felt it was his place. 

Once alone with her in her bedroom, he’d done all the things he always did when alone with women...or, in this case, teenage girls. He avoided getting between her and the door. He gave her plenty of personal space. When he sat beside her on the bed and touched her shoulder, he’d noticed how she flinched just a little and had been ready to back off...but she’d relaxed, and he’d gotten the idea that it was more of a reflex than anything. Still, he kept his body language relaxed...kept the door open a crack. He figured that since she was Spider-Girl, she would know if her aunt was close enough to hear...and May Parker hadn’t seemed like the type to snoop. He hadn’t really worried about that. 

It had been Penny’s one condition. Don’t tell Aunt May. One request she’d made of him, complete with a web shot at his hand, sticking his hand to the doorknob. And he’d looked at her then...really looked at her. Not as a little girl with superpowers or as a teenager playing at something bigger than them. No...at that moment, he’d realized that this girl was going to be great. She was going to be a superhero like no other. Spider-Girl was going to be a name that everyone knew. And he wanted to help her get there.

After she’d saved his plane and then rejected his offer to join the Avengers, Tony had known that he’d wanted to get to know this kid...to train her, even if she wouldn’t officially be an Avenger for a few years. So he’d instituted lab days. Once a week, she came to the tower to work with him in the lab. They would work on her suit or her web fluid...sometimes she’d just do homework, or one of them wouldn’t feel like working and they’d give up and order food instead, heading up to the main floor to watch TV and talk. But the first time she’d come over, after her initial geeking out at how amazing his lab was (he fully agreed and might have preened at the praise a little), he hadn’t been able to ignore the way she’d been acting. 

He had set her up with her own workstation (complete with a little nameplate that read Penny Parker with a little spider etched into the metal) that had a tablet and holographic interface, and plenty of room for all of her experimenting. And she’d dutifully started to play with the holographs, bringing up a full image of her suit...but she’d been nervous. Fingers tapping on her pants or the table. Frequent glances at him and at the door. When he’d turned on the music, making sure to keep it on low to account for her enhanced senses, she’d nearly jumped out of her skin, and that had been nothing compared to when he’d dropped a wrench.

And when he’d confronted her, trying to be as friendly as possible, she’d asked him if they could leave the door open, and he’d known, deep in his gut, that something was terribly wrong. That this girl had lived through something bad, and that he had no idea how to talk to her about it...or if he even should! Who the hell was he to try and play counselor? Instead, he’d assured her that it was fine, and when she’d tried to explain...when she’d tried to assure him that she knew he wouldn’t do some indescribable horrible thing to her, he’d cut her off, letting her know that she never had to explain herself. That he would never stop her from leaving if she wanted to.

She rarely took advantage of this, but she had once or twice. And he was always careful about touching. For weeks, he made sure that she was the one to initiate contact, usually by being excited about something. By smiling up at him with huge, bright eyes and jumping up and down on the balls of her feet, and in those moments he would drop a hand on her arm or her shoulder and later, pull her into a hug.

After the incident in the training room with Sam, Steve had tried to insist she stay and train...that she was going to be an Avenger and she would need to be there for training sessions, and after snapping at the man where Tony was pretty sure the girl had been able to hear him, he’d pulled Steve aside, the two of them moving into another room. “That is a teenage girl, Steve.” He’d told him softly, using the man’s first name instead of one of the many nicknames he’d given him to show how utterly serious he was. “She is fifteen. She doesn’t feel comfortable being confined in a room with grown men, and she watched her uncle get shot less than two years ago. So if she wants to leave a room, she gets to leave. Don’t you ever tell that girl she can’t.” 

Steve had stared at him for a long time, and question in his eyes that Tony was unable and unwilling to answer. Finally, he spoke. “Of course. You’re right.” Before Tony could get over his shock at hearing those words come out of Steve’s mouth, the man went on. “Did something...happen…”

“I have no idea, and even if I did, it wouldn’t be any of your business. She doesn’t owe us any kind of explanation.”

To his utter surprise, Steve had seemed to agree. Then again, it shouldn’t have been so surprising. Steve cared a lot about Penny. Tony knew that he sometimes sought her out during patrols, just like Sam did, the two of them acting as backup or just deterrents as they patrolled with her. And Penny didn’t seem to mind. He couldn’t help but notice how much more comfortable she was around them than she had been when they’d first moved back into the tower. Not as comfortable as she was with him...but, and he couldn’t help a flicker of something warm in his chest as he thought it, she wasn’t their intern. Wasn’t their mentee.

Wasn’t their kid.

He’d left the others in the training room and followed her up to the guest room she always used after his talk with Steve. Friday had let him know that she had a migraine and was laying down, so he’d slipped into the room and shut the door behind him without thinking, wanting to make sure it stayed dark inside. Moving over to her side, he’d placed the cool washcloth on her forehead, and the girl had seemed to relax a little. Not too much later, she’d sat up, throwing her arms around him, and he’d realized that he’d broken his own rule. He’d shut her in a room with him. And she hadn’t minded. 

She trusted him. He swore, in that second of realization, that he would never, ever give her a reason to doubt him. Never. And if she ever needed to talk to him about what had happened, then he would be there and he would do his best to listen. Because he loved this kid. He loved her like she was his own, which was strange because he didn’t have his own kids but now...now he did. And he’d kill for her.

That was his first thought when, in the middle of a meeting, Steve on one side of him, Pepper on the other, his watch buzzed with an urgent incoming message. He glanced at it, making sure the presenter wasn’t looking at him before doing so and feeling like an errant high schooler. It was a message from Friday.

“Penny and Sam are requesting your immediate return to the tower.”

Something was wrong. Something big...the biggest thing that could ever be wrong. Penny knew he was in DC. Friday would have told her. So the only reason that she would ask him to come back was that she was in trouble of some kind. Big trouble. This wasn’t her AI informing him that something was wrong. This was Penny. Penny Parker. The girl who’d tried to ‘sleep off’ more than one concussion without telling anyone. She would never willingly call him unless she seriously needed help. 

He’d kill for her.

He stood, no hesitation. This was more important than whatever meeting he was in. Excusing himself and telling them that there was a family emergency he had to take care of, he turned to Pepper. “It’s Penny. Something’s wrong.” He told her, making his voice as serious and as afraid as he felt. Pepper nodded, reaching out and touching his hand.

“Go,” She ordered. “I can handle this.”

Without a backward glance, he went, breaking into a jog once he was in the hallway and ignoring the looks he was getting. “Friday, talk to me.” He ordered, putting his glasses on and watching the interface come to life, tapping once on his earpiece.

“Penny Parker left school this morning at approximately 8:09 and according to traffic footage, ran straight to the tower where she found Sam. She was distressed by something on her phone and suffered a panic attack. Sam has her phone now, and she is on the kitchen floor. He just requested that I call you and have you come back ASAP.”

“Tell him I’m on my way.” He ordered, waving down Happy who was standing in the garage by the car, drinking a coffee and reading a newspaper. “Hey! I’m flying back to New York. Something’s wrong with Penny.” He told him, pulling his suit jacket off and tossing it to Happy who caught it, dropping his newspaper. 

“What’s wrong with her?”

“Don’t know for sure yet. I won’t be back. Let everyone I’m supposed to have meetings with today know.”

“Got it, boss.” 

And then he was tapping his chest and not ten seconds later, he was encased in armor. 

Penny would never ask him to come back early from a meeting. The kid never asked him for anything. “Friday? Update.”

“Penny is currently resting on the sofa in the common room and watching TV. Sam Wilson and Natasha Romanoff are talking in Natasha’s bedroom. They still have Penny’s phone.”

“Call it.” 

The line rang in his mask as he shot out of the parking garage and into the sky. It was the fastest way to get back to New York, he reminded himself when it felt like he was moving too slowly. He needed to get back to his kid. Now. Yesterday. Her phone rang three times in his earpiece before it connected, and it was Sam that answered.

“Tony?”

“Where’s the kid?”

“Laying on the sofa watching TV. She’s...she’s alright.” 

Tony closed his eyes for just a moment. It was fine...Friday was piloting the suit. She wouldn’t let him fly into a building or a goose or anything. She was on the sofa. Friday had been telling the truth. She was okay. “What happened?” 

Sam hesitated for a long time and Tony could feel himself losing patience. But before he ran out completely, the man answered. “She ran out of school and came here looking for you.” That made Tony’s chest give a sharp, painful squeeze. Penny had never come looking to him for help. Never. And the one time she had, he hadn’t been there. “She, uh...she was getting texts on her phone from this guy…” He lowered his voice then as if afraid Penny would overhear. Knowing her super-hearing, she might. “Named Steven Westcott...goes by Skip. “ He paused as if that name would mean anything to Tony. When he was silent, Sam went on. “He babysat her when she was a kid...she was eleven, I think.”

Tony didn’t need Sam to go on because the knowledge hit him like a swing from a baseball bat, and if his suit hadn’t automatically been keeping him on course, he would have dropped. It made sense...of course it did. 

“We went to jail after he...she didn’t give me a lot of details but….”

“What did the texts say?” Tony demanded, swallowing hard so that he wouldn’t throw up. He couldn’t throw up in the suit and he’d have to stop and he couldn’t afford the delay. He had to get back to his kid. Now.

“He...he said they ought to meet up...mentioned where she went to school. Then...she told him to leave her alone but...he sent her two pictures.”

“Of what?” His voice was like sandpaper and hot rage bubbled over in his throat.

“The first one was his face and the second was…”. 

“What?” 

When he spoke, Sam sounded frustrated. Furious. “What do you think, Tony?”

Fifteen. Penny was fifteen. When she’d been eleven...and now...now a man who had…his brain was short-circuiting and he couldn’t decide if he needed to be by her side or hunt this guy down first. He’d kill him. That jackass wouldn’t be sending anyone any more pictures of his dick because Tony would cut it off himself.

“Where is he?”

“Nat’s doing some digging. We don’t know much about him...he doesn’t have a big online presence. He only went to prison for a few years...got out on good behavior. Look...we’re going to take care of this…”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“No...look...Tony, the kid...she made do with me, okay? She was freaking out and I got her to calm down. But she needs you. You’re the one she came here looking for. I need to call her aunt. Penny’s safe here at the tower...she just...she wants you here, okay?”

“I’m on my way. Give me...just...tell her I’ll be there in 45 minutes, okay?”

“I will. She’s...she’s not good, Tony.”

He could imagine. The monster that had...had what? Assaulted her? Raped her? He didn’t know. He didn’t have any idea what Skip Westcott had done. That man was out of prison and he had somehow gotten her phone number. Had somehow figured out where she went to school. But he’d never do anything to her again. 

“Let me talk to Nat.”

His friend’s greeting was all business. “Steven Westcott wasn’t too hard to track down. He doesn’t have much of an online presence...pretty much just a Facebook he never uses. His profile picture is an eagle over an American flag.”

“Of course it is,” Tony grumbled, diverting more power to his thrusters. The estimated time of arrival was just shy of 40 minutes. Faster. He needed to go faster. 

“I’m trying to get the details of the trial...I don’t want to ask Penny to talk about it.”

“Where is she?” He asked, his need to know compulsive. 

“Friday says she’s still on the sofa...she hasn’t moved.” Natasha soothed, voice going gentle for a moment. “We…” 

Another voice chimed in from the background...it sounded like Friday, and Nat muttered something to Sam. 

“What’s going on?” Tony demanded.

“Clint just walked into the living room. Don’t worry. Sam’s going to get him and bring him in here before he tries to talk to her.” 

“Okay...just...the trial?” He asked, voice coming out weak. He didn’t want to know. Didn’t want any details. But how could he help Penny if he couldn’t even hear what she’d gone through? He needed to know...needed to steel himself against it so that he could be there for her. So he waited and listened to the clicking of keys and Sam and Clint’s muttered conversation in the background. 

36 minutes. Not fast enough.

“Just...get here. I’ll have Friday keep working on breaking through. We’re going to make a plan.”

“What are you going to do?” He asked, already suspecting the answer.

“Is this a secure line?”

“It’s one of the most secure lines in the world. She talks about Spider-Girl on it. Karen is installed in her phone.”

“Okay. Change her number.”

“Will do. What are you going to do to Skip Westcott.”

“Kill him.”

It almost took him back how calmly she said it. No hesitation. No remorse. No talk about sitting down and having a chat with him or threatening him. “Kill him?” He repeated, surprised at how soft his own voice came out. Tony didn’t ask if she could do that...if she could kill a random New York citizen without being caught. Of course she could. She’d been trained to kill from childhood. 

“Of course.”

“Are you going to ask her…”

“Am I going to ask the fifteen-year-old girl crying on our sofa if she wants me to kill the man that raped her as a child? No. I’m not. I wouldn’t put that on her. This is my choice. I’m going to kill a child rapist who just proved that he’s ready and able to hurt a child again.” 

“She’s crying?” He asked, well aware of how ridiculous his question was. Immediately, Friday brought up the security cam footage from the living room, showing the sofa and the back of the TV in HD. Penny lay on her side, wrapped in a blanket, with an empty glass and a packet of cookies on the floor in front of her. Her wide eyes leaked tears as they stared, almost unseeing, at the TV. “Can she hear this conversation?” He asked the AI. 

“I am unsure.” Friday almost sounded sad. “She has not given any physical indication that she could. She began crying three minutes after Sam left the room.”

Shock? Dissociation? Panic attack? The possibilities flashed through his mind but he shook his head, checking his ETA once more. 31 minutes. 

Not fast enough. 

“This cannot get traced back to her.” He knew the warning was needless...but he had to say it.

“Of course not.” Natasha sounded almost offended. 

“It can’t get traced back to you either, Nat.” No only because of the consequences for the Avengers...because she was his friend and he loved her and he would defend her if it came down to it. Still, it would be a media disaster. And if it got traced back to them, someone might connect the dots all the way to Penny. 

“It won’t. Clint and I are going to come up with a plan. Sam’s going to sit with Penny. We’ll wait until you get back to leave...we won’t leave her here alone.” 

He hung up, eyes straying back to the footage of Penny. She didn’t move when Sam appeared on screen, hesitating only for a moment before sitting down on the sofa at her feet, keeping a few inches between himself and the end of the blanket tucked around her. 

“I’m right here, kiddo. Don’t worry. We’re going to take care of this guy tonight, okay? And Tony’s on his way back. He’ll be here in less than an hour. I’m not going to leave until he gets back.”

On the screen, her eyes still stared blankly ahead, lips slightly parted as tears ran down her cheeks and nose, but her feet extended just a little until they pressed against his thigh, and he lifted a hand and placed it on her leg over the blanket. 

“That’s right. I’m here, Pen. Don’t worry.”

Tony was the one that made the call to her aunt, attention divided between Penny on the screen and the sky in front of him the whole time. He assured her that the Avengers were going to take care of this guy, and that Penny was safe at the tower. She told him that her shift ended in three hours and he promised to send a driver to pick her up and bring her to the tower as soon as she got off.

He landed on the tower balcony 21 minutes later, practically clawing his way out of the suit that did its best to disengage in a timely manner. Hurrying to the door, he threw it open and then found himself frozen in the doorway. Penny hadn’t even glanced up from the screen where he could hear Parks and Rec playing. Sam had the same hand on her leg over the blankets but when Tony entered, he lifted it, shifting forward so that he could lean over at look at the girl.

“Hey, kid. Tony’s here. I’m gonna go talk to Nat, okay?” 

Penny blinked, seeming to come out of some kind of trance as she looked over at Sam, then nodded. He patted her leg, standing up, and Tony was barely even aware that he was moving as Sam left the room. One moment, he was in the doorway. The next, he was kneeling on the floor in front of her, moving the empty glass out of the way watching her closely for signs that she wanted him to back off...that she didn’t want to be touched.

The girl took a moment to register his presence, and then he was nearly thrown backwards as she shoved the blanket off and practically threw herself off the sofa and into his arms. Tony held her, shifting until he was sitting on the floor, his back against the sofa, and she was in his arms practically on his lap, her face buried in his neck, hot liquid dripping down and soaking his collar as her shoulders shook. “I’m here, kiddo. I’ve got you.” He murmured, the words flowing out of him without any conscious thought on his part. “I’m right here. You’re safe. You’re going to be okay.” 

“I needed you to come back,” she sobbed, her hands balled up in the back of his shirt. 

“I know. I’m back. I’m right here. I came as fast as I could.” 

She lost all the tension in her body then, slumping against him, still crying but not fighting it, and he reached back behind him to grab the blanket discarded on the sofa to throw over her, rubbing her back as if trying to warm her up. The TV continued to play in the background, making random flashes of light in the dim room. 

He waited for her to talk. Waited for an explanation that he didn’t really need...heck, he half waited for her to start apologizing, telling him how sorry she was that she’d pulled him away from his meeting, etc, etc. Instead, her breathing slowly started to even out, her hands loosening in the back of his shirt, and he started to wonder if she’d fallen asleep. But when he glanced down, her eyes were half-open, face relaxed…

She felt safe. He made her feel safe. And hell if that wasn’t the best feeling he’d ever had. He made his kid feel safe.

He would keep her safe. At all costs.

As much as he didn’t want to disturb the peace, his lower back was starting to ache, and he had noticed the unopened packet of cookies on the floor. “Did you eat breakfast?” He asked, resting his cheek on the top of her head. 

“Granola bar.” She muttered.

“Alright. How about I make waffles?”

For a moment, she was quiet, going just a little tense in his arms, and he wondered if he’d spoken too soon. Then, her soft voice came from below his chin. “With chocolate chips?” 

A smile broke out of his face then, and he let out a quick, relieved breath. “Of course. Is there any other way to make waffles?”

“You can use blueberries. Or make plain ones. Or use cake mix...those are really good. Or whole grain. Or…”

“Yeah, yeah, Spiderling. Easy on the sass or you can make your own waffles.” He teased, unable to help his smile at the lightness in her voice, forced as it may have been. Still, when it came time to get up, she took a moment, tightening her arms around him just a little as if reluctant to let go. Finally, though, after he returned the hug, pressing his lips to the top of her head in a quick kiss, she stood, shrugging the blanket off and holding out a hand to him that he took, letting her tug him to his feet as if he weighed nothing. 

The kitchen was fully stocked for waffles, and he started the batter while Penny got the chocolate chips. He figured she needed something to do...something to keep herself busy for a moment, so he asked her to make hot cocoa. It was a chilly morning, and even though the tower was warm, he thought she might like a hot drink. Hot cocoa always made him feel better anyway.

The waffle maker was shaped like the Iron Man mask. It had been a gift from Pepper, one that Tony had rolled his eyes at and put in a cabinet, but when Penny had discovered it, she’d been so delighted that he’d put away his regular waffle maker in favor of this one, subjecting all of the Avengers to waffles made in his image. Once breakfast was done, Penny had one waffle on her plate and four more on standby. She liked to eat them one at a time to ‘fully enjoy the syrup pockets’ as she put it. He dug into his own waffles, both of them sipping hot chocolate with huge dollops of whipped cream on top, and for a moment, there was comfortable quiet. The TV still played in the other room and Tony didn’t want to break the peace...didn’t want to bring up the 7 ton elephant in the room. But he had to. He needed to keep her safe, and that meant keeping her updated. But he also wanted her to eat. So he compromised.

He waited for her to finish three of her waffles before speaking. “Your aunt will be here in a few hours as soon as she finishes her shift. I’ll send a driver to pick her up. She called your school. They think you have the flu so...I’ll get Helen to write you a doctor’s note.” 

Penny had stopped eating, her fork resting on her plate, and he hated that he needed to do this...hated that he couldn’t just pretend that things were normal. But he couldn’t. 

“I’m going to make sure you get a new phone number. Karen will screen all calls and text messages from numbers not in your phone. If you get anything suspicious or potentially threatening, she will trace the call and alert you to the name and location of the sender.” 

She nodded, staring at her plate. “And...and if he...if he texts me again…”

“He won't,” Tony said with a confidence he immediately regretted. Her eyes shot up to him, widening a little, eyebrows raising, and he knew that he had to explain. “The others are going to take care of him. He’s never going to bother you again.”

“You make it sound like they’re going to strap bricks to his feet and throw him in the Hudson.”

Tony shrugged, happy to hear her joking but knowing that she probably wasn’t that far off. “I don’t know exactly what they’re going to do to him. But Natasha said that she’d take care of it and when Natasha fixes something, it stays fixed.” 

Penny was quiet for a moment. She stared down at her waffle, hands clenched in her lap. “If...if I don’t ask...if I don’t know what...what she does...does that...does it make me…” She cut herself off, swallowing hard, and he reached out a hand and rested it on the table, palm up. She stared at it...and then, she rested her hands in his, looking up at him ad begging with her eyes for him to take this away. 

He would try. With everything he had, he would try. “Natasha is going to do whatever she wants to stop criminals. It’s who she is. You aren’t responsible for any choices she makes.”

“She’s an Avenger.”

“She’s a spy. An assassin. One of my closest friends and one of the best people to have in your corner. She wants to protect you from a criminal. The best thing to do is let her.” Even as he spoke the words, he had to admit, he didn’t know if it was true. Didn’t know if this would only hurt Penny more. If she would feel responsible for the death of a man who had hurt her so badly. He knew Penny Parker...he knew that she was a hero and that she was Spider-Girl and that Spider-Girl didn’t kill people. Ever. She saved them. She webbed them up. She turned them into the police. Hell, she’d saved the Vulture after he’d tried multiple times to kill her. 

But this was different. This was a man that hurt children. And he might hurt more children. He’d already proven that he was willing to. So, Tony decided he didn’t care if that man died. He just hoped Penny came to the same conclusion. 

The girl went back to her breakfast. She didn't ask any more questions. Didn’t push the issue. He had no doubts that one day, she’d ask questions. That she may even go to Natasha. But he couldn’t do anything about that. Not yet. All he could do was keep her as safe as he knew how. 

They were watching Parks and Rec after breakfast, her nursing a second cup of hot chocolate when she spoke. “He was my babysitter.” 

Tony didn’t let himself react in any way. His arm had been slung over the back of the sofa, and she leaned against his side, feet up on the couch beside her. They had sat like this before, Penny slowly inching closer until she felt comfortable enough to just rest on him. He’d been just as hesitant at first. But now she was his kid and he loved her and he’d kill for her.

He’d let Natasha kill for her.

“He was our neighbor’s nephew and he was in town...just for the summer. Ben and May...they were really impressed by him. He was in college...he wanted to be a police officer. But...then...he offered to babysit and...he…” 

Tony waited. He didn’t want to know. Friday had accessed the documents from the trial but he hadn’t read them...hadn’t had time before landing on the balcony...but now...now she needed to speak and he would listen.

And she spoke. She told him. She described in halting, quiet detail what that man had done to her. She described a man that had started with making her touch him and had ended, on the fifth week of babysitting her on Saturday evening while Ben and May went out, with her curled up in her closet and screaming when May had tried to coax her out.

That’s when May had gotten the full story. She hadn’t told Ben until Skip had been arrested, too afraid of what her husband would do. And Tony liked to think that Ben would approve of whatever plan Natasha had cooked up. 

He held her as she spoke, not interrupting. Just letting her speak. Letting her get it out. And when she was done, he wrapped the blanket around her and kissed her hair and let her cry for a long time...long enough that almost an entire episode passed unwatched on the TV. 

“I love you, kiddo.” He murmured, the words making his throat ache. He’d rarely said them to anyone. But this girl...she needed to know. “I love you so much. I’m so sorry...sweetheart, I’m so sorry he hurt you. You’re safe now. It’s all over. He’s never going to hurt you again.”

“That ...that's what Ben...he said when Skip...when he went to jail but...but now he…”

“He’s never going to find you. He’s never going to hurt you again.” Tony swore, knowing with every passing second that Natasha was making the right decision. They would wipe Penny’s phone. Wipe the conversation from Skip. They would destroy Skip’s phone...erase him from existence. Knowing Natasha, the police would assume it was a break in. Maybe a mugging. Or maybe he would just disappear. Tony was fine with any of these options. 

When May arrived, she sat on Penny’s other side and held her, making eye contact with Tony over her head. 

“You don’t have to worry about anything. It’s taken care of.” He assured her. May didn’t ask questions either. She stayed all day, the three of them parked on the sofa, leaving only to get food or use the bathroom, finishing almost an entire season of Parks and Rec, watching the characters laugh and fight and flirt and struggle to do their jobs as, below in the parking garage, Nat, Clint, and Sam took a nondescript blue car out into the city. 

Tony ordered burgers and milkshakes to be delivered, and in the meantime, he and Penny went down to the lab, the formula for her web fluid between them as they tried to make a way for it to last longer without making it any thicker and risk jamming her web shooter. By that time, Penny was smiling again. Relaxed. Just a little bit quieter than usual, but that was to be expected. May sat upstairs, relaxing with a glass of wine and waiting for the food to arrive.

As they were sitting down to a fast food dinner, Natasha was waiting in an alley, Sam against the wall beside her. There was a syringe in her hand. The man was already drunk, Clint has confirmed from his spot at the bar down the street. They were two blocks away from his Queens apartment where he stayed with a friend...barely two miles from Penny’s apartment. 

He’d sent the girl more messages on the phone that they now had. He’d told her that it was her fault he’d gone to prison. That he would visit her soon. It had cemented in Natasha’s mind that this man would never see another child after tonight. Of course, she thought, she could just paralyze him. Put him in a coma. But that would make him someone else’s problem. And she didn’t think child rapists deserve second chances anyway.

Sam was the one to grab him as he came stumbling by, then Sam stepped onto the sidewalk, keeping watch. Clint came ambling by, and the two stood in front of the mouth of the alley, acting like work friends who’d run into one another. The struggle in the alley wasn’t really much of a struggle, and the odd person that passed on the other side of the street or happened to drive by or glance out their window barely even took note of the two men talking, much less the dark alley behind them. 

They took his wallet and phone. The fifteen bucks, Natasha would give to the first homeless person they passed on their way back to their car, along with the other twenty dollars she had on her. The ID and other cards, along with the wallet itself, she would burn at the tower, the ashes mixed with the compost that Pepper put on her little balcony garden. Penny wouldn’t ask them any questions, not for another year or so, and even then, it would just be a confirmation on a day when Penny stopped by for lab day. 

Natasha would be in the living room, and Penny would approach, nervous and a little pale. “He’s...he’s really gone, right?”

The spy would look up, taking less than five seconds to know exactly who Penny was talking about. “He’s really gone."


End file.
